Apps for mobile devices have the potential to help improve executive function and promote independence for individuals with disabilities from childhood through adulthood. These tools may boost self-direction, confidence, and other language and life skills. From regular reliance for daily communication or task management to occasional social-emotional or academic support, we compiled a list of apps identified by families and professionals alike to help you and members of your family lead more independent lives.
These are some popular Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) apps to help users with daily communication and building language skills through picture/symbol- and text/typing-based systems:
Communication
AssistiveWare offers an interactive guide to find which AAC app best fits your needs, in addition to accessible keyboard apps and bundles. Allows you to tap images or type words to speak. Customizable to support beginning and advanced communicators, and available in multiple languages, Proloquo2Go
($249.99 for iOS, $124.99 for Mac). Plan on a few hours for setup/instruction videos.
Proloquo is more user-friendly and streamlined for children with good vision and fine motor skills. Designed to support language growth from first words to full literacy. (1 month free trial, $9.99/month or $99.99/year, iPhone and iPad; share app with user’s team at no extra cost.)
TouchChat HD is a full-featured communication solution offering easy navigation for child, family and care team. Head tracking capability is included (with latest iPad/iPhone models) for those with limited use of their hands. ($149.99, $299.99 with WordPower suite of vocabularies – the most popular version, TouchChat Discover free 30 day trial)
Goally AAC Talker is an easy-to-use symbol-based talker app included in Goally’s Therapy Suite Apps for kids, which also includes: Visual Schedules, Checklists, Reminders, Language Learning Games, Finger-Dexterity Games, & more. Included are 100+ pre-built routine templates, 50+ video learning modules, free invites to your therapy and teacher team, and fun characters. App. (Apple/Android; App Suite $15/month + $149 for dedicated device free from Web browsers and social media). GetGoally.com offers a free print-your-own visual schedule builder.
Card Talk supports communication with 200 picture cards with voice sound or your own photos with voice recording for children who have difficulties in verbal communication. Free with in-app purchases; Apple/Android)
Dictation
Dragon Anywhere dictation and text-to-speech app creates, edits, formats and shares documents of any length directly from your mobile device and can synchronize with the Dragon desktop software. (Free one-week trial converts to $14.99/month or $149.99/year subscription; Apple/Android)
Otter.ai records and transcribes conversations and virtual or in-person meetings with real time captions and meeting notes. (Free to download, Pro $16.99/month, $99.99/year; Apple/Android)
READING, WRITING and MATH
Read is an award-winning phonics and reading game helping children learn to read from preschool through first grade. Bundle with Adventurous Eating to assist with fussy eaters. ($5.99 for both; Apple/Android)
Sentence Builder from the Mobile Education Store helps elementary age children build grammatically correct sentences with pictures, three levels of play and encouragement animations and audio clips. Other apps from this developer include Story Builder, Sentence Builder Teen, and Conversation Builder Teen, a virtual conversation simulator. ($8.99; Apple iPad)
Adobe Fill & Sign lets you fill, sign and send any form fast. You can snap a picture of a paper form and fill it in on your phone or tablet, then e-sign and send without printing or faxing. (Free; iPhone or Android)
iWrite Words teaches handwriting by tracing words, letters and numbers in a fun, entertaining way. ($2.99; Apple)
Count Money! for iPad helps people of all ages count money in practice or quiz mode. (Free, Apple iPad)
Learning Ally Audiobooks offers access to human-read audiobooks, including bestsellers, classics and textbooks, with highlighted text synced with narration, speed control, bookmarking, highlighting and note-taking. Membership is restricted to those with a demonstrated learning disability, visual impairment or physical disability that makes it difficult to read using traditional print. Documentation from a qualified professional for each member is required. ($135/year membership; Apple/Android)
ModMath is recognized for making learning easier for people with dyslexia and dysgraphia, autism and other learning difficulties. The app features virtual graph paper and a pen to set up and solve problems without pencil and paper. Use touchscreen and keypad to set up and solve basic math problems or complex algebraic equations. (Free with in-app purchases; iPad/Mac, coming for Android and Chromebook)
Photomath allows you to point an iPhone camera at a printed or written equation, and it will solve it with step-by-step explanations. It works with integers, fractions, decimals, powers, roots and logarithms & more. (Free basic version, $9.99/month and $69.99/year for Plus access to custom visual aids and animated tutorials, extra tips and deep-dive solutions for textbooks; Apple/Android)
MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition helps caregivers of children with medically complex diagnoses — or anyone over 18 needing to manage medical information for themselves or their families — organize healthcare data by putting all of the changing information in one place, connecting appointments to reminders and sharing information with healthcare providers. (Free; Apple/Android)
Epsy seizure log for epilepsy is an award-winning app for tracking seizures, medications, routines and more. Share data with your care team. (Free; Apple/Android)
Medisafe Medication Management helps track current prescriptions and set reminders for scheduled medications. Ranked highly by pharmacists, physicians and patients, it can check for interactions and send family/caregiver notifications if the user forgets to take meds. (Free basic version, Premium $4.99/month or $39.99/year; Apple/Android)
Curable is a virtual coach for pain management who interacts with messages, science-backed activities, resources and funny gifs tailored to your symptoms and preferences. (Free for basic resources, $11.99 a month subscription. Apple/Android)
BetterHelp online therapy offers live sessions and convenient messaging to licensed mental health providers. With access to over 30,000 therapists, cost ranges from $60 to $90 per week billed every four weeks, but may be higher based on location, preferences and availability. (Apple/Android)
Talkspace Therapy
and Support
It offers stress and depression help, matching you with a licensed therapist in your state to message via text, audio and video for ages 13 and up. It partners with health insurance plans and companies across the U.S., so check for coverage eligibility. Talkspace also offers a self-directed therapy app. (Apple/Android)
BetterSleep helps understand and improve sleep with a sleep tracker, nighttime recorder, more than 300 sleep sounds and music tracks, more than 100 stories, and 200 soothing guided meditation playlists and timers/reminders. (Free download with in-app purchases, $9.99/month, $59.99/year after free 7-day trial until you cancel; Apple/Android)
Headspace offers mindfulness, guided meditation and movement exercises to address stress, focus and sleep, including a new National Park Collection of immersive nature content (14 days free with $69.99/year, 7 days free with $12.99/month; Apple/Android)
Calm for sleep, meditation and relaxation helps with sleep, stress, anxiety and attention through guided meditations, sleep stories, breathwork, exclusive music, soundscapes and stretching exercises. (Premium content with free 1-week trial, then $69.99/year, $14.99/month; Apple/Android)
Personal Safety
BSafe comprehensive personal safety app features a live “follow me” map feature, voice activation tools, automatic recordings and live streaming, in addition to an SOS button to alert contacts. It can even create a fake call to leave an uncomfortable situation. Users must enable location sharing services and designate invitations to family, friends or guardians who have agreed to track your movements. (Free download, Premium Weekly $0.49, Premium Annual $19.99, Premium Monthly $1.99, 24-hour Premium features $0.99; Apple/Android)
Life360 location sharing and GPS tracker helps you stay connected with friends or family and view each other’s real-time locations on a map with enabled location sharing. Features include
SOS alert with your location to emergency contacts, driving safety options and more. (Free with in-app purchases, upgrade to a paid membership and get Tile Bluetooth tracker and 7-day trial)
Silent Beacon pairs a wearable bluetooth personal safety device to your smartphone or tablet to allow you to instantly call 911 or any number you choose while sending your live GPS location to multiple people at once. ($49.99 device sale price, subscription tier model; Apple/Android)
ICE Medical Standard lets you put your emergency medical contact information on your lock screen image overlay display for first responders and medical staff to find. Flag allergies and health conditions. The smartphone is regarded as a backup device for a physical ICE Medical Standard ID Card. (Free with in-app purchases; Apple/Android) Note: check your smartphone for built-in health app medical ID features like this.
ICE Contact free personal safety app delivers instant and delayed messages to friends and family with your GPS location In Case of Emergency. (Free, Apple/Android)
TASK MANAGEMENT,
ORGANIZATION AND LIFESTYLE
Traditional smartphone apps include Notes and Voice Memos to record information as well as Calendar and Reminders apps that can be programmed to send alerts for important tasks or events. iOS devices offer the Timer function within the Clock app for a visual timer. Other options include:
Remember the milk organizes, prioritizes and syncs to-do lists, tasks and reminders across devices and other apps, and allows you to attach files. (Free basic download, $39.99/year Pro Subscription; Apple/Android)
Done: A Simple Habit Tracker helps you set goals, break habits and build good ones with visual positive reinforcement. (Free version creates up to 3 habits, fees vary for premium and growth; Apple)
BEST Suite: 5 apps in 1 assists individuals with cognitive challenges to improve goal-setting, initiation, time management, self-regulation, self-esteem and productivity. PaceMyDay plans tasks to learn when to take breaks. ReachMyGoals sets personal measurable goals and reminders. StrategizeMyLife helps create and assign strategies and rate how well they work. CompleteMyToDos creates tasks with start and due dates, groups them into projects organized by color and emoji, and adds images to tasks. CueMyList organizes and sets time limits for checklists and records personal messages as prompts. Online training is offered for the apps. ($9.99 with in-app purchases; Apple/Android)
Scanner Pro scans, organizes and shares documents, turning papers (receipts, IEPs, etc.) into PDFs on the go. It also allows you to annotate and search text. (Free with in-app purchases, Apple)
Evernote is an organizational tool for creating to-do lists, reminders, notes and more. You can clip the web, connect your Google Calendar, and attach text, images, audio and documents to make notes more useful. (Free version, fees vary for personal and premium; Apple/Android)
Time Timer offers visual time management with an iconic red disk that disappears as seconds go by. (Free; Apple/Android)
Action Blocks makes it easier for people who have a cognitive disability to use Android phones and tablets. Add common actions to your Home screen with a name or image, then activate the Action Block — for example, a photo — to trigger calling a loved one, turning on lights, or other common actions utilizing Google Assistant. (Free, Android)
Instacart eases the burden of errands with home-grocery delivery or online ordering for pickup. Shop for groceries, household items, electronics and more. (Free Download and first delivery; Apple/Android)
Tile helps track and find misplaced things (keys, wallet, etc.) near and far away via Bluetooth communication between the mobile device and tiles attached to belongings (Free Download, Premium Plan for more robust finding; Android, iOS)
Mint: Budget & Expense Manager by Intuit helps track, budget and manage your finances. First-time budgeters can create one in a few clicks and stay on track with notifications. (Free basic version with many features, Premium $4.99/month; Apple/Android)
VISUAL/HEARING SUPPORT
Be My Eyes assists blind and low-vision people with video support from sighted volunteers and professionals. It allows for anonymous day and night free unlimited calls using a camera-enabled smartphone. (Ages 17 and up, Free with in-app purchases; Apple/Android)
InnoVoice real-time captioning for phone calls is funded by the Federal Communications Commission and comes at no cost to individuals with hearing loss. (Free; Apple/Android)
Envision articulates everyday visual information into speech to help the blind and visually impaired. Using a smartphone camera, the app can speak out written text from any surface (handwritten, printed on packages, books, etc.), describe surroundings, find objects, and tell you who is nearby using artificial intelligence and optical character recognition. (Free; Apple/Android)
Examine broader app descriptions and user reviews, especially those from trusted industry professional organizations or publications, such as the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), or online family/educator resources like commonsense.org, educationalappstore.com, understood.com, teacherspayteachers.com and teachthought.com
Apps filter out background noise
to improve hearingSpeak It!PagesSoundnoteTyp-O HDWritepadMerriam-Webster DictionaryDexteriaGrammar
Dragon
Consider taking advantage of free trial periods. Pay close attention to cancellation terms and conditions — and set reminders for yourself to turn off auto-renew, usually at least 24 hours before the end of a subscription period, before incurring charges you do not want. Also watch for promotion codes or discounts during certain times of the year. *Pricing of subscriptions and apps are subject to change.
